Zelensky urges US to help it defeat Russia

Ukraine is “alive and kicking” and will never surrender, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, in a defiant address to US lawmakers on his first foreign trip since Russia’s invasion.

US military aid to Ukraine was not charity, but an investment in security for the future, Zelensky said.

His appeal comes amid signs US support is likely to face greater scrutiny by Republican lawmakers in Congress.

But President Joe Biden vowed to stick by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

Biden pledged a new $2bn (£1.7bn) aid package and promised another $45bn.

At a joint news conference, Biden told reporters he was “not at all worried” about holding the international coalition together.

Amid concerns that some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict’s cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt “very good” about the solidarity of support for Ukraine.

As Ukraine’s most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial, and security assistance – far more than any other country.

Zelensky – wearing his trademark combat-green sweatshirt and boots – expressed hope that Congress would pass an extra $45bn in aid to Ukraine – currently before the US Senate – to “help us to defend our values and independence”.

Republicans – who will take control of the House of Representatives in January – have warned they will not write a “blank cheque” for Ukraine.

In fact, Republican support for continued assistance has been eroding. In a survey conducted in November, just over half of Republican voters supported aid to Ukraine – down from 80% in March.

But Zelensky, who traveled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that “regardless of changes in the Congress”, he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country.

And he made his plea in emotive terms before a joint session of Congress – a speech that was interrupted 18 times with standing ovations by nearly all members of Congress, with the exception of some Republican lawmakers who did not clap.

Speaking in English, he told them his country was still standing “against all odds” and predicted “a turning point” in the conflict next year.

Agencies